
Kai Slater — known for fronting Chicago rock trio Lifeguard — is launching a bold new chapter with his bedroom-pop alter ego Sharp Pins. Balloon Balloon Balloon, his latest solo album, is set to soar into the world on November 21 via K/Perennial. Its lead single, “(I Wanna) Be Your Girl”, is already lifting spirits with an eye-popping music video directed by Grace Bader Conrad — watch below.
Composed between January and May at his Chicago home and mixed at Mobile Control in Olympia, WA with Hayes Waring, Balloon Balloon Balloon strikes a vibrant fusion of intimate DIY charm and studio polish.
Slater’s Sharp Pins catalog is a testament to his creative momentum: his debut album Turtle Rock dropped in 2023 on his own Hallogallo Tapes, followed by Radio DDR, which caught enough attention to earn a re-release via K/Perennial in March.
By day, he brings guitar and vocals to Lifeguard, alongside bassist/baritone guitarist Asher Case and drummer/synth whiz Isaac Lowenstein — a trio that unveiled their first LP, Ripped and Torn, this June. And now, Slater is ready to enchant us once again through his more tender, solo side.